Re: Secrets to bread making?

I make all of our family's bread and use either bottled Spring Water or if I'm out of spring water, I use water from our filtered refrigerator water dispenser - especially, as someone else said, when I'm either feeding my sourdough starter or making bread from it.

Also, here in the southern US, the amount of flour I need to use varies depending on how humid it is. For example, I might use a whole cup less of flour in the wintertime as compared to when I make bread in the middle of the summer. It just depends on how the dough feels.

Another thing to consider is, when making whole grain bread, be sure you don't add any more flour to the dough than the recipe calls for, or you'll end up with a brick instead of decent bread. Instead, when you're kneading the dough, just oil the kneading surface and your hands and use the oil to keep it from sticking rather than more flour. I've found with 100% whole grain bread, it's best to keep the dough a little moister and let it rise a little longer.

Re: Secrets to bread making?

Re: Secrets to bread making?

mommyof2nc wrote:

Another thing to consider is, when making whole grain bread, be sure you don't add any more flour to the dough than the recipe calls for, or you'll end up with a brick instead of decent bread. Instead, when you're kneading the dough, just oil the kneading surface and your hands and use the oil to keep it from sticking rather than more flour. I've found with 100% whole grain bread, it's best to keep the dough a little moister and let it rise a little longer.

Totally agree with making the dough moister and rising longer. Not too sure what I think about oiling hands and surface. A well kneaded dough usually doesn't stick to the surface and hands can be washed. But personally I don't want the oil in my otherwise oil free bread. After kneading the ball of dough comes off the surface. By then most of the sticky stuff off my hands has come off.

---

Regarding flour: Have fun experimenting with different flours! You can also use bran, groat, wheat germ, grits/semolina, etc. for part of the flour. And regarding grains, try out wheat, spelt, rye, buckwheat...... etc. They will react differently, but it is worth playing with all the different flavors and textures. Still it all depends the feel of the dough and letting it rise to the right size.

You'll want the dough to be a bit wet. I mix it in the mixer, then knead it in there too for a few minutes. I drop it in an oiled bowl and let it rise for a few hours. Then I move it to an warm, oiled dutch oven to rise again for a for a couple more hours. Then toss it into a hot oven. Remove the lid for the last 15 minutes.

Yes it is a process and the flour makes a difference. I use King Arthur brand flour, but any good all purpose four works fine.

Re: Secrets to bread making?

Re: Secrets to bread making?

rcpendle wrote:

The secret to bread? A bread machine.

Good for you, if the machine works for you.

It doesn't for me and not for many others either:I tend to use all or mostly whole grain flours (sorry, it's a typical German bread though), some coarsly ground, lots of grains and seeds, and bake with sourdough. The machine would not allow for my long and slow rising times (that the natural sourdough needs) and doesn't knead a strong dough like that sufficiently. My other issue with the machine is the shape of the loaf: a big square chunk with a whole in the bottom...And my bread has a nicer crust than that from the machine.

But I realize that it depends on what you want. Allowed is what works for you

Re: Secrets to bread making?

I used a 'Beard on Bread' recipe for a completely whole grain bread, no white flour, no kneading. It was a foolproof recipe every time and I was a rank amateur compared to the bread bakers on this forum. If I ever get to eat gluten again, I'm going to make two breads from that book, the walnut onion and the raisin with icing. The raisins were soaked in rum first, when that bread baked, the smell was just heavenly.

Become a member of jamieoliver.com for free and access loads of lovely stuff around the site.
You'll get Jamie's latest recipes and food tips direct to your inbox, take advantage of exclusive promotions and offers, ask
Jamie and his team questions in the forums and enjoy your weekly newsletter too.

By submitting this form you consent to receiving news and updates from businesses in the Jamie Oliver Group of companies and the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. You also agree to our terms and conditions found here.

I am not a robot.

We'd love to get to know you a bit better so we only send you

news and recipes that you want to read. If you've got two

minutes to spare, it would be great if you could answer a quick questionnaire.